MagicLotto Exposed — Is There Any Magic?
MagicLotto Review
MagicLotto.co.za is yet another online provider for international lottery tickets. They say they maintain a 100% payout record to their lottery winners. They have eight lotteries they offer for online players. So let’s go take a look on what they really do – or not!
Games at MagicLotto
Okay, this is weird. MagicLotto.co.za keeps your deposited funds in two separate accounts, one in Rands (South African currency) and one in British Pounds. I think you are supposed to use the Rands account for the South African games and the other for all other international games. Currently, they offer eight games. For South African Lotteries there are SA Lottery, SA Lotto Plus, SA Powerball and SA Powerball Plus. The other lotteries available are UK Lottery, EuroJackpot, US Powerball and SuperEnalotto. More weirdness – they list EuroJackpot and then specific EuroMillions as the same lottery.
MagicLotto.co.za and Syndicates
And then it gets even weirder. There is no information on the site on whether this site offers syndicates, but at the top of the Terms & Conditions they say “MagicLotto.co.za is appointed by the Player to act as the agent and to instruct a syndicate manager who will on behalf of the Player”. Maybe once you register to play, you get to see that information.
Service Charge Applicable?
Okay, this is when it gets a little confusing. They say there is no service charge or syndicate fee on South African Lotteries but then they go on to say 95% is paid to the player, 4% taken by MagicLotto and 1% goes to the Syndicate Manager. Ah, so they must consider each ticket as shared hence the use of the term Syndicate Manager.
Getting Your Winnings at MagicLotto
Players will be contacted by telephone if their winnings are £200 or more otherwise MagicLotto will contact you by email. They will collect your winnings for you. Payments are made within ten days of when you say I want my money. They don’t specify a minimum threshold that MagicLotto does suggest you keep your winnings in your account “until substantial enough to send a withdrawal request”. Transfer costs to get you your money apply on anything under £200 is either through wire transfer (£15) or over two weeks (£9).
Who Can Play at MagicLotto.co.za?
Playing at MagicLotto is restricted to people 18 years or older. It appears it is open to anyone from anywhere.
Talking to MagicLotto
MagicLotto.co.za has a snail mail address in Namibia, fax number, email address, online form and fax number. We asked several questions by email, but still have not gotten a reply. They claim at the top of their page “live chat” but we never found anyone available.
Lastly
Within their FAQs, MagicLotto posts the cost of purchasing a ticket, but – yes the but – only for six of the lotteries offered. There is a general feel from this site that much of the information has been thrown together without an overall review on the information.
The Bottom Line at MagicLotto.co.za
I’ve got some serious issues on what this site says and what it does not say but mostly the contradictions. I don’t argue on a charge for collecting winnings, but write it so it is clear. Plus, it looks like they’ve added a few without amending their terms and conditions to include the new lotteries they offer.
Pros:
Eight International Lotteries
Anyone Can Play
Cons:
Service Charge on Winnings and Account Manager Costs
Two Accounts to Play?
Sorry, these folks get a thumb’s down. The whole concept of having to maintain two separate accounts for different games with limited reference to the actual games they offer is enough to say go play somewhere else.
Laurin Tapinos
I don’t understand your negative review? I have been playing at magiclotto.co.za for the last 2 years. Last week I won 1st division on the Daily Lotto and had no problem with payout. I receive a top-up bonus every Friday of 20%. So they do give bonuses. Just referring to your deposit statement of only Credit Card that is also incorrect. They offer Credit/Debit Card, Instant EFT, Zapper, MTNMoMo and a Manual EFT option too. I agree the FAQ can be better but these guys are legit.